Rocky Pamplin

Rushton "Rocky" Pamplin is a former college football player, model, musician and bodyguard for the American rock band the Beach Boys.

Early life

Pamplin was born in Youngstown, Ohio. In the 1960s, he attended Newark High School, in Newark, California.^[1]

Football career

He attended the University of Oregon and the University of Hawaii, where he played college football as a running back. He was drafted in 1971 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, chosen 5th in the 10th round (239th overall),^[2] but did not play in an NFL game.

Pamplin would later play for the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes.^[3]

Involvement with the Beach Boys

Pamplin was – along with Stan Love, a former NBA player and younger brother to Beach Boy Mike Love – hired as an extrajudicial warden for Beach Boy Brian Wilson, also the Loves' cousin. Stan would later claim that he and Pamplin were asked "to prevent [Brian's brother and the band's drummer Dennis Wilson] from providing cocaine and other dangerous drugs to Brian Wilson."

In January 1981, Stan and Pamplin followed Dennis to his house in Los Angeles. They observed Dennis consuming cocaine with several other people and kicked down the door posing as police officers. Stan and Pamplin then chased Dennis and engaged, in Stan's words, "one of the most brutal beatings ever." Dennis pressed charges, and in March 1981, both Stan and Pamplin agreed to a mutual restraining order ^[4] in a Santa Monica Supreme Court. Love was fined $750 and Pamplin was fined $250 for the beating. Both were put on six months probation.^[5]

Recording career

Pamplin joined the band American Spring for one year in 1977. The band was fronted by Marilyn Wilson, with whom Pamplin was having an affair,^[6] and consisted of her sister Diane Rovell on vocals and Brian Wilson in a writing/producing role. Pamplin sang lead vocals on the unreleased track "California Feelin'", a song written by Brian Wilson and Steve Kalinich.

Pamplin also co-wrote the song "It's Like Heaven" with Brian Wilson and Diane Rovell for American Spring, which would later appear on the Shaun Cassidy album Under Wraps.^[7]

References